Indicating device



Patented Mar. 1, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to indicating devices and more particularly to scoring devices for use in games such as golf.

In many types of games in which individual scores must be counted and recorded a number of times during the course of the game, it is often inconvenient to employ the conventional score-pad-and-pencil method or similar methods requiring repeated written notations by one or more of the contestants. For example, in golf it is necessary for each player to keep track of the number of strokes taken on each hole. Since the golf player is continually moving about over the golf course, there is often no convenient writing surface available for making written entries on the score card and as a result the player usually must record his strokes while holding the score card in his hand. Obviously, it would be a considerable advantage to have a simple mechanical score indicator which could be carried in the pocket and which could be manipulated after each hole to keep a progressive tabulation of the players score.

Various mechanical aids have been suggested for use as scoring devices, indicators, reminders, grocery lists, etc., but many of these proposed devices have serious disadvantages. For example, in certain devices the indicating elements are in the form of beads, pegs, or buttons which are readily detachable from the body of the device and are, therefore, easily lost or displaced during use. In other devices, the means for retaining the indicating elements in position on the device are cumbersome, inefficient, and inconvenient to manipulate. In still other devices, only a relatively small number of scores or other data can be' set up in indicating position at any one time.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive, compact, portable indicating device that may be used for tabulating scores and other analogous uses and which is not subject to the various disadvantages of the prior art devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanical indicating device in which a plurality of indicating elements are permanently secured to a body member but are movable thereon for indicating purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanical indicating device having slidable indicating elements which may be moved back and forth on a body member between storage and indicating positions as desired and which are retained in either of said positions by frictional engagement with the body member.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a mechanical indicating device having relatively movable body and storage members and a relatively large number of indicating elements which are transferable between said members for positioning any desired indicating element at any desired indicating location on said body member.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a unitary golf scoring device in which selected stroke-indicating elements may be mechanically moved into indicating position on a hole-indicating member for maintaining a continuous tabulation of the strokes per hole for either one or two players.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become evident by reference to the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one side of a golf scoring device comprising a specific embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the other side of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the device taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Broadly speaking, my device comprises a pair of body members secured in relatively movable engagement and slotted along their adjacent edges to provide openings in each adapted to be brought into alignment by relative movement of the body members. A plurality of indicating ele ments are slidably disposed in the slotted openings and are adapted to be transferred back and forth in any desired combination between the body members when the latter are manipulated to obtain the desired alignment of the slots. In the preferred form of the device, the body members comprise a ring and a disk rotatably mounted therein, the adjacent peripheries of the ring and disk having opposed radial slots adapted to be moved into register by relative rotation of the body members.

Referring to the drawing, a golf scorer is shown, merely by way of illustration, having a body portion comprising a flat, circular, central member or disk 2| which is rotatably mounted Within a flat, coplanar, concentric ring or annular member 22. The inner periphery of the ring member 22 is provided with a circumferential channel or groove 23, and the outer periphcry of the disk member 2| is formed with an annular bead or rib 24 which is received in the groove 23 for securing the members 2| and 22 in rotatable relationship (Fig. 4). The disk 2! and the ring 22 are preferably formed from a molded plastic material of sufiicient flexibility so that the structure may be assembled by distorting the ring and snapping the rib portion 24 into place in the groove portion 23. When the ring is released from distorted position, the disk 2| will be retained securely but will rotate freely therein.

A plurality of radial slots or edgewise openings 28 are circumferentially spaced around the outer periphery of the disk 2| and extend inwardly therefrom. A complementary set of radial openings or slots 21 are provided in the ring member 22 and extend outwardly from the inner edge or periphery thereof, the mouths or inlets to each set of edgewise slots in the disk 2i and ring 22 being in opposed relationship. The slotted openings 2t and 21 in the disk 2| and ring 22, respectively, are of substantially the same width in order to permit accurate alignment or registry between any desired pair of opposed slots by relative rota-- tion between the disk 2i and the ring 22.

A plurality of rivet-like indicating elements or buttons 28 are permanently and movably secured to the body of the device, each of the indicating elements comprising an enlarged head portion 29 disposed flatwise on one side of the ring and disk structure, a shank portion 31 connected to the head portion 29 and transversely disposed within the slotted openings 26 or 2'1, and a protuberance or flattened end 32 on the opposite end of the shank 3i for permanently securing the element 28 to the body of the device. The slots 26 and 21 are of sufiicient width to permit sliding movement therein of the shank portions 3! of the elements 28 but are also of such size that they frictionally grip the shank portions 3! for retaining the elements 28 in any desired position on the ring 22 or disk 2!.

The flat surfaces of the disk member 21 have suitable indicia thereon corresponding to the eighteen holes of a golf course. As seen in Fig. 1, a plurality of radial dividing lines 33 are provided to mark oil separate hole-indicating areas or zones 34 On one half of the disk 2: corresponding to the first nine holes of a golf course, and similar radial lines 33 divide the other half of the disk 2! into separate zones 3% corresponding to the second nine holes or" the course. A pair of intermediate areas or zones 36 are provided for indicating the total scores. Each of the hole-indicating zones 34 is arranged to include a centrally located slot 26 to permit an indicating element 28 to be moved therein as hereinafter described. The total score zones 36 are of sufiicient size to include at least two centrally located slots 26 for accommodating two or more of the indicating elements 28. The head portions 29 of the indicating elements 28 have stroke-indicating indicia thereon, several elements being provided for each of the possible number of strokes.

In the operation of the device, the ring 22 functions primarily as a storage member for retaining a supply of stroke-indicating elements 28 in the slots 2'! until needed. After completing a hole, the player manipulates the relatively rotatable disk 2| and ring 22 to bring the desired hole slot 26 into register or alignment with a storage slot 21 containing the desired stroke-indicating element 28. The desired element 28 is then slid from its slot 21 in the ring 22 into score-indicating position in the aligned slot 26 in the disk 2|. Thus, in Fig. l, the player has already moved stroke-indicating buttons bearing the indicia 4, 3, 5 and 2 into the slots in the disk 2| corresponding to the first, second, third, and fourth holes, respectively, and the slot corresponding to the fifth hole has been aligned with a storage slot containing a two-stroke button preparatory to moving this element into stroke-indicating position. After the first nine holes have been completed, the player may slide two of the strokeindicating elements 23 into the slots provided in one of the areas 36 for indicating the total score for nine holes. Similarly, the other of the areas 35 may be employed to indicate the score for the second nine holes or the total score for eighteen holes.

As seen in Fig. 2, the opposite flat surface of the disk member 2! is also provided with holeindicating indicia in a plurality of hole-indicating areas or zones 3?, similar to Fig. 1, and the zones 3i are arranged in slightly staggered or offset relationship with respect to the zones 34 shown on the other side of the disk 2!. In this way, a single hole slot 26 is located centrally within each of the hole-indicating areas or zones 34 and 3? on both sides of the disk 2!. In addition, half of the stroke indicating elements 28 are arranged with their head portions 29 disposed on one side of the disk and ring structure and the other half having their head portions disposed on the opposite side of the device (Fig. 3) thereby permitting separate scores for two players to be kept on each side of the device.

Although the invention has been described in detail with respect to a golf scoring device, it will be apparent that an indicating device of this type may be used for a Wide variety of related purposes requiring a mechanical indicating or tabulating aid. For example, the device may be adapted for scoring in other types of games, and for shopping and grocery lists.

Although the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown in the drawing and described in detail in the specification, it is intended that various modifications and equivalent structures be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An indicating device of the class described comprising two body members secured together in relatively movable relationship, each of said body members being provided with edgewise slots and the slots in one of said body members being adapted to be aligned with complementary slots in the other of said body members by relative movement between said body members, and indicating elements slidably disposed in said slots and adapted to be transferred from one to the other of said body members when said slots are in alignment.

2. An indicating device of the class described comprising a fiat central member having slotted portions extending inwardly from its outer edge, a flat annular member surrounding said central member and movably engaged therewith, said annular member having slotted portions extending outwardly from its inner edge and adapted to be aligned with the corresponding slotted portions in said central member by relative movement between said members, and a plurality of indicator elements slidably disposed in said slotted portions and transferable between said central and annular members when said slotted portions are in alignment.

3. An indicating device of the class described comprising a ring member, a disk member rotatably mounted within said ring member, said ring and disk members having a plurality of opposed radial slots adapted to be brought into register by relative rotation of said members, and a plurality of indicating elements slidably disposed in said slots and transferable between said ring and disk members when said slots are in register.

4. An indicating device of the class described comprising a ring member having radial slotted portions extending outwardly from its inner periphery, a disk member mounted within said ring member in rotatable engagement therewith and having radial slotted portions extending inwardly from its outer edge, said ring and disk members being rotatable relative to each other for aligning a desired slotted portion of said ring member with a desired slotted portion of said disk member, and a plurality of indicator elements slidably disposed in said slotted portions and adapted to be transferred from one to the other of said ring and disk members upon relative adjustment of the latter to effect alignment between corresponding slotted portions therein.

5. An indicating device of the class described comprising a disk member and a concentric ring member in rotatable engagement therewith, said disk and ring members being provided with opposed radial slots having openings disposed circumferentially around the adjacent peripheries of said disk and ring members and said members being rotatable relative to each other for moving a desired slot in said disk member into register with a desired slot in said ring member, and a plurality of indicator elements each having a shank portion slidably disposed in one of said slots and adapted to be transferred between said disk and ring members when a pair of said slots are in register.

6. An indicating device of the class described comprising a fiat circular structure formed by a central disk member and a concentric ring member in rotatable engagement therewith, said disk and ring members having opposed radial slots extending from their adjacent peripheries and said disk and ring members being rotatable relative to each other for moving a desired slot in said disk member into register with a desired slot in said ring member, and a plurality of rivetlike indicator elements each comprising a shank portion disposed transversely in one of said slots in frictional engagement therewith and an enlarged head portion disposed flatwise on one surface of said structure, each of said elements being movable between said disk and ring members by sliding movement of said shank portion when a pair of said slots are in register.

'7. An indicating device of the class described comprising a ring member having an annular grooved portion around its inner periphery, a disk member disposed within said ring member and having an annular rib around its outer periphery, said rib being received within said grooved portion in rotatable engagement therewith and said ring and disk members being provided with a plurality of opposed radial slots adapted to be brought into register by relative rotation of said members, and a plurality of indicating elements slidably disposed in said slots and transferable between said ring and disk members when said slots are in register.

An indicating device of the class described comprising a ring member having an annular grooved portion around its inner periphery, a disk member mounted within said ring member and having an annular rib around its outer periphery rotatably received within said grooved portion, said ring and disk members being provided with a plurality of opposed radial slots adapted to be aligned by relative rotation of said members, and a plurality of indicating elements slidably disposed in said slots and transferable between said ring and disk members when said slots are in alignment, said ring member being formed of a sufliciently flexible material so that it may be distorted for fitting said rib portion into place in grooved portion during assembly of device.

9. An indicating device of the class described comprising a flat circular structure comprising a disk member having indicia on both sides thereof a concentric ring member in rotatable engagement therewith, said disk and ring mem bers being provided with a plurality of opposed, circumferentially spaced, radial slots, a desired slot in said disk member being registrable with a desired slot in said ring member by relative rotation of said members, and a plurality of rivetlike indicator elements having enlarged head portions bearing indicia and transverse shank portions slidably disposed in said slots, some of said elements having their head portions disposed on one surface of said flat structure and the remainder having their head portions disposed on the other surface of said structure, and said elements being transferable between said disk and ring members by sliding movement of said shank portions when said slots are in register.

10.A golf scoring device comprising a disk member having indicia thereon corresponding to the holes of a golf game, an annular member in rotatable engagement with said disk member, said annular and disk members being provided with opposed radial slots around their adjacent peripheries and a desired slot in said annular member being adapted to be aligned with a desired slot in said disk member by relative rotation of said members, and a plurality of movable buttons having stroke-indicating indicia thereon and slidably disposed in said slots by means of shank portions secured thereto, said buttons being transferable from said annular member to said disk member when said slots are in alignment for indicating the strokes corresponding to a given hole.

MALACHY T. BURNS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 384,707 Nash June 19, 1888 590,523 Heath Sept. 21, 1897 1,468,901 Everson Sept. 25, 1923 2,219,841 Harless Oct. 29, 194.0 

